Sage Grouse Listing

[BillyGoat]

The following announcement was made yesterday. Will this affect hunting of these birds at all in the near future? Weren't they already a candidate species?

Salazar made the announcement in conjunction with a finding by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that, based on accumulated scientific data and new peer-reviewed information and analysis, the greater sage-grouse warrants the protection of the Endangered Species Act but that listing the species at this time is precluded by the need to address higher priority species first. The greater sage-grouse will be placed on the candidate list for future action, meaning the species would not receive statutory protection under the ESA and states would continue to be responsible for managing the bird.

http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=2F98A862-90A1-07B5-71DCA2BCAC826881

 

[1_pointer]

They were a "sensitive species". As far as hunting them, I guess that depends on what ID F&G decides, as they are still responsible for management of them. My guess is that very little will change. Federal agencies will probably now have to consult with US FWS on anything potentially affecting sagegrouse. Funding will probably be easier to get for projects that help the birds, but it's been that way for a bit anyway. Most of the direction/guidance that I've seen for BLM deals mostly with energy development.

All that said, if possible, I'm hoping to drop a boomer to mount this fall just in case...